Summer League Notes Part IV: The James Gist Saga

LAS VEGAS — The Spurs’ summer league juggernaut finally went down tonight, losing to previously winless Portland 91-74 in the late game at Cox Pavilion. Those of us watching from a Spurs-centic point of view didn’t observe much we didn’t already know.

Yes, DeJuan Blair is a beast. The rookie had another summer double-double, 16 points and 11 rebounds, and would have scored more if he had been more efficient around the basket. Malik Hairston, who has been the Spurs’ most accurate perimeter scorer in the summer, again played well in limited minutes. George Hill was OK; Ian Mahinmi was OK.

The play that stood out to your intrepid scribe at courtside, however, didn’t show up in the Spurs’ half of the box score. In fact, it resulted in two points for the Trail Blazers.

Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Blazers ahead by 20 and most players already on cruise control, Portland’s Pooh Jeter went slicing along the lane. He seemed to have a clear path to the basket. James Gist had other ideas.

The 6-foot-9 forward came barreling from one side of the lane to the other to emphatically goaltend the shot, landing on his back and sliding a foot or so across the floor.

It was a classic hustle play, at the point in the game when hustle had long since left the building. Gist has no give-up in him. And it is the kind of thing that still makes him an attractive option for the Spurs, even after a summer league that, statistically speaking, wasn’t overly impressive.

“I always feel like I can do something more,” Gist said. “The first three games, it was not where I wanted to be. I feel like I’ve got two games left, I wanted to leave it all on the court.”

Gist had eight points and five rebounds against Portland. Though he worked hard last season in Italy expanding his range, he was 0-for-4 from the 3-point line. While bigger numbers would be nice, they aren’t what is going to put Gist in a Spurs uniform in the season to come.

What Gist has that separated him from similiar players at summer league is an extra gear on his motor. He’s kind of Ginobili-esque in that department. Playing harder than everyone else is his NBA skill.

The Spurs have 14 players under contract heading toward training camp, with room for one more. Gist’s goal is to force the Spurs into handing the spot to him, even though they already have seven big men under contract. If he doesn’t earn it, it won’t be for lack of trying.

“I’ve just got to keep pushing,” Gist said. “You never know what’s ahead for you. You have to make sure you put yourself in the best position when the opportunity comes. That’s probably the biggest thing in my mind.”

Playing hard is admirable but it isn’t enough. There need to be some NBA level skills to go with the effort if he’s to make a difference on this team. And with just the box scores to go by, it’s hard to see where the performances of Hill and Mahinmi was “ok.”